Traitorous
by Metal Flowers
Summary: Max has been kicked out, this time by herself. All of the Flock, minus one, betrayed her without any mind controlling from Angel. She has set out on her own, and has gotten captured by the School where she meets some very interesting people.
1. Kicked Out

**ARGH! MY COMPUTER WON'T CONNECT TO ANYTHING! I AM WRITING THIS ON JULY FOURTH, BUT GUESS WHAT? I CANNOT POST! ARGH!**

**Without Further Adieu,**

I cursed as my finger was cut on a pile of glass I was cleaning up. A mix of Erasers and flyboys had again attacked our house, and we had just barely fought them off. The house was a wreck, everyone had at least one fractured bone, and more would just keep coming. I winced as I felt my wrist heal the wrong way.

Dylan and I were the only ones cleaning up the mess that the battle had caused. The rest were standing around, looking forlorn and angry.

"Guys, I think that it might be time for us to move again," I sighed, "It just keeps getting tougher and tougher to beat the goons that Itex is sending after us. Maybe we could have a few moments of peace if we gave them chase for a bit."

"No," Angel defied me, as she always did on my decisions, "We fight better here! We know the area! We totally trashed them this time!"

"But you got hurt," I countered, "If we were on the run, we'd be a bit hungrier but in the end we'd be safer."

Angel froze, and a smirk came over her face, "Unless…"

I had a gut feeling that I wasn't going to like this at all. Everyone was paying attention to our little argument now.

"Unless what?" I asked cautiously, feeling as though I was treading onto a landmine.

"Unless there's a different reason you want us to leave," Angel said slowly and her eye's latched on to mine. There was none of the goodness that I was used to seeing. Her baby blue eyes looked like a cat that had cornered a mouse, "I mean, here we know the terrain, we have the upper hand with higher ground, we're fed, and we're strong. Itex hasn't forced us out of here yet. If we left, we'd be hungry, we'd be confused, we'd be lost, and we'd be separated. That would make it _easier_ for the School to capture us, wouldn't it?"

I nearly choked. Was she saying that I was a traitor? Did she believe that, or was she trying to take over the Flock again? I had a feeling that it was the latter.

Angel glanced at Dylan quickly with an intense stare, and he stood up. Angel was facing me, so the rest couldn't see how she was manipulating the situation.

Dylan's Caribbean blue eyes were glazed over as Angel brainwashed him, "Angel that makes sense. But that would mean that Max…was a traitor. This would also make sense."

_Well played_, I congratulated her as my heart broke.

_Would you like a peek inside everyone's minds_? She asked sweetly, and without waiting for my answer, she shoved four voices inside my head.

The first voice I recognized was Nudge's, _OMZ! Angel's right! Max must be trying to lead us out of the house! How did we never see this before? I wouldn't really believe it, but Dylan does. And since Dylan's made to believe and trust Max, which must mean that the truth is obvious this time. And that means…Max must have been leading them to us for forever! OMZ!_

I gulped as I listened to her mind babble. Nudge had always stuck by my side. It didn't matter if that meant that she had to put up with Ari, the source of her nightmares. She stayed with me. She made me cookies when I was depressed over Angel dying and Fang leaving. She would make everyone Get Well cards when they were sick. I spent hours with her, making glittery posters for her to hang in her room.

Angel brought another voice to my head. This time it was Iggy's, _Hm that makes sense in a way. It was always so convenient that Max had a voice in her head. She always listened to it, no matter what happened. She'd always do what it asked. Maybe she didn't even have a voice. Maybe it was just her making decisions and lying, so we'd be more likely to believe her. I wish I could see her face right now. Maybe that would make everything clear. Ugh, I can see what's in front of my face well enough. Bite me, traitor._

Iggy was my brother. He would tease me about my ability to burn water. He was always at my side, except when he wasn't. Maybe it was my fault that he believed Angel's lies so easily. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to the Voice, and listened to the Flock instead.

Gazzy's boyish voice took my attention next, _Max is glaring at Angel like there's no tomorrow. She shouldn't be mad at her! Angel's my sister! I bet I know why she's furious. It's because Angel revealed what Max is. It's hard to say…but Max is a traitor. My sister wouldn't lie._

Angel didn't even have to brainwash him. I couldn't hold it against Gazzy. No matter what, Gazzy would stick to family. I just wish the others would follow his example.

Angel's bubbly giggle entered my head, _Enjoying yourself? Here, I have one more that you're sure to like._

The next voice was so silent that it was almost a whisper, _I can't believe it, but I strangely do. This is why she was so hesitant to kiss me. She was a traitor. This was why she wouldn't choose between Dylan and me. She didn't make a decision, which kept both of us in her control. I can't believe I didn't see it before._

Even Fang believed it? He was my rock. He caught me when I fell down, except when he disappeared on me. I couldn't choose because I didn't know if he'd ever leave me again, which apparently he was going to. I should've chosen.

I blinked back a couple tears. I wouldn't let them see me cry, no matter how much it hurt.

"I…can see that you believe her," I said slowly, "And you won't believe me now, but you will. Someday. Dylan is being brainwashed. I just want what's best for you. And you're being little brats right now and you will regret today like there's no tomorrow."

I stormed out of the living room and into my room. I threw in some of my non-ripped up jeans, some slightly grass stained white shirts, and not really anything else. I spotted the black Max card lying on my wooden dresser. If I took it, I'd feel terrible. If I left it…I wasn't going to leave it. They didn't deserve to live a life of luxury after what they just did. I hoped that they realized what they did soon so that they could wallow in misery for the rest of their lives.

I snapped the card in half before putting on my gray windbreaker and jumping out my broken window and into the unforgiving night.


	2. Lightning

Thank you Demonic for finding the hole in this chapter and pointing it out! Demonic is a great part time beta!

Hey, what are you guys's favorite weather? I like storms myself. With all of these spectacular lightning storms at WV, I'll just be sitting outside…It's great!  
Without Further Adieu,

It started raining and the sharp, stinging droplets mixed with my own tears. They abandoned me. They betrayed me! The rain started to get heavier, so heavy that it affected my flying. Still, I flapped my wings. Thunder echoed around me. Still, I flapped my wings. My mind wasn't registering anything except the pain in my chest, a wound left from earlier this night.

A bright, burning pain started in my left wing as a white flash of light tore through it.

Lightning, I thought in shock, God! I'm so stupid! Why the heck was I flying around in a Thunderstorm? That's just stupid!

I tried to flap with one wing, but it just didn't work. I plummeted towards the ground and shrieked as loud as I could.

'Max?' the Voices voice appeared in my head , 'Max! Answer me!'

I screamed. I was about a mile away from the going splat, "I'm a bit too busy for that, Jeb!"

'Aim your body towards that lake there! Do it, goddamit!'

I ignored his foul language and followed his advice. I arranged what I could move so that I was angling towards a large mass of water to my right. I landed in the middle of the lake, but found that I didn't have the strength to swim back to the surface. I breathed in through my gills.

That wasn't going to save me, though. I would die of blood loss. Hopefully there wasn't anything carnivorous in these waters. Did sharks live in lakes? I think one could...bull sharks? Dang, I should've watched more Animal Planet...

'Maximum! Snap out of it!' Jeb snapped at me, 'I'm sending help!'

I laughed softly in the water, "What help? I'm at the deepest part of the lake and dying. It'll be too late."

Jeb's voice in my mind was strangely regretful, 'You'll forgive me, right? You're my daughter. You have to live."

I rolled my eyes as I bumped against the sandy bottom of the lake, "Max II is kind of like me, right? You can pretend that she's my twin!"

I was losing too much blood. It floated all around me, enveloping me in a floating mass of red. My systems started to shut down. I forgot to breathe. My eyes fluttered closed. All of my muscles relaxed.

'I won't have to resort to someone else. There's a company that would do anything to have you back, Max. Forgive me.'

Some immeasurable time later, my eyes opened with fresh clarity. I was surrounded with steel and the air around me smelled of death and antiseptic.

I was at the School.


	3. Electric Chair

**Heh. I got that idea from the last chapter while listening to 'Lightning' by The Wanted. Awesome band, awesome song. It's my ringtone. What are you guy's favorite songs?**

**Without Further Adieu,**

The smell…it stung my nose and I coughed weakly. It was never really the actual smell that unnerved me, though the scent of cleaner wasn't exactly pleasant, it was what always accompanied it. Pain.

"Oh good, you're awake," a slightly familiar voice said in amusement. It wasn't someone I had spent my entire life with, but maybe I had known him for a week. The voice was human and sounded like a mix of sandpaper and honey.

My eyes fluttered open and I frowned as I adjusted to the bright light that left no shadows in the entire room, "Sam?"

"Good. You remember me, Experiment 13-1-24. You gave us quite the scare. You almost escaped us for good," he said as he tightened the metal bindings that were holding me to a chair. For the first time, I took in my surroundings. My brain was unusually sluggish, and I couldn't move anything. I was strapped into a metal chair with three bindings each on every limb.

My wings were stretched out in front of me and I blinked at what I saw. My wings had no holes in them. There was no pain. The only evidence that I did in fact get hit by lightning was that my feathers were burned in a six pointed star.

"Remarkable healing," Sam said, stroking the star, "Even your feathers barely have a mark."

I spat at him and my wad of spit landed on his face, which was way too close, "Get the heck away from me. You know I'm getting out of here, and I know that I'm getting out of here. Why don't we just speed the process up by you letting me go, okay sweetheart?"

He wiped the spit off from his face and leaned in close to my face. His chestnut brown hair that fell over his face in waves and light blue eyes looked so much like Dylan's, but they looked so different at the same time. Were they…prepping me to fall in love with him? Well, this shows how much good it does to fall in love. I was alone and at the School.

"We've learned our lesson, Experiment 13-1-24. Only the strongest containment cells for you," he whispered in my ear coldly. He probably disliked my condescending use of the word 'sweetheart'. "But first, why don't we get our most _special_ experiment out of the way? It's new, and all of the other experiments seem to…well, hate it."

He gestured to a thin square of shiny metal in his hand that was only adorned with a dial. Currently, it was on the off setting. Sam smiled cruelly before setting it to one. Tingles went through my body and they seemed to center at the six pointed star on my wing.

"Is that your best, Sammy?" I asked him spitefully. Of course, this made his Caribbean blue eyes flare.

"I was going to do this gradually, but you don't deserve even that!" he snarled at me, leaving spit droplets on my face. He twisted his fingers quickly, leaving the dial pointed at eleven. The machine sputtered and stopped, and the tingly feeling went away. I was about to laugh at his attempts, but then it started again at full power. A hot blast of pain melted my insides. Every bloodstream that I possessed in my body seemed to ignite and I screamed in unadulterated pain. The room went blurry before magnifying. That process repeated itself before I became severely dizzy. I started rocking back and forth and side to side, trying to escape the pain. This was worse than the Flock leaving me. That only ripped my heart to shreds. This was killing me. It wasn't the slow and peaceful death in the middle of the lake. It was hot and furious. This was a death of an experiment gone wrong.

"What the hell are you doing, Dr. Smith!" Jeb's voice barked and the electricity suddenly stopped flowing through my body. I started gasping in the cool air as I felt Jeb unlatch me from the chair and hold me in his arms, "This experiment was supposed to last three hours, gradually increasing power! You had her near death in the first ten minutes!"

"But look at her, Dr. Batchelder!" Gosh, did _no one_ use first names around here? I stopped hyperventilating. I simply didn't need to anymore. I shoved away from Jeb and landed in a crouch on the floor. I caught my reflection in the shining metal wall. I looked exactly the same.

No. There was a difference. My skin was smooth and unmarred, except for scars that I've had for years and the star shaped burn mark on my wing.

"Healing process has progressed remarkably," Jeb said in amazement. Well, his tone held fascination. His eyes held pain.

**Are you okay, Maximum? I had to bring you back here.**

I nodded once, though to Sam it would look like I was tossing my hair back over my shoulder. I understood but I didn't forgive him. I would have rather died.

**I know.**

"She's done with testing today," Jeb said gruffly and turned away sharply, "Put her in her containment cell."

"No," Sam defied him and yanked me towards the door. I slipped my hand out of his grip and pushed him away, "I have specific orders to bring her to the black cell once she's done with the electric chair!"

Jeb knew that he couldn't do anything or he'd get fired, so he just left the room without a word, leaving the smell of aftershave behind him.

"Stupid old man," Sam muttered and stuck a gun to the small of my back, "He's too soft on you. Now get going. I don't think that I have to demonstrate what happens if you refuse?"

I held up my hands in temporary surrender and walked out of the room and down the hall, following Sam's instructions. I knew when I was beat. I wonder what the black room was. You see, the School wasn't all that creative with naming their rooms. Most of the times, they're named after colors. The red room is where they make mutants fight to the death, the blue room is where they teach us how to fly, and the grey room is where they break you. Those are the only rooms I've been to that actually have names, so those are the only ones I know. Maybe they kill you there!

I was shoved into a room with a metal sliding door suddenly and I stumbled into it. The door locked behind me with a faint but audible click.

"Wonder what that was," a little girl's voice whispered. The room was pitch black and I couldn't hear anything. I tried to be as silent as I could.

A teenage girl's voice whispered back, though hers sounded like a question, "Dinner?"

"It came in too suddenly. I couldn't see," a boy's voice informed them.

The teenage girl's voice shushed them, "Wait…do you hear breathing?"

"Are we supposed to kill it or be killed?" the boy whispered.

The door slid open again, this time it lingered. I blinked and took in the scene before me. There was a fifteen year old girl who looked too colorful to be natural. She must be a test tube baby. She had bubble gum pink hair that was in two pigtails and light blue eyes. A boy that was about the same age as her with black hair, sickly pale skin, and light green eyes was glaring at the light as if it offended him. A girl my age was at the back of the black chamber. She was about my age and had light brown hair with silver streaks in it. Her eyes were a silvery blue.

"Is that…Maximum Ride?" the colorful girl asked before I was grabbed by the arm and yanked out of the cell.

"Wrong room. That one's occupied," Sam said gruffly before shoving me into a like chamber beside the other room. This one was empty and once the door shut, I saw nothing. My eyes didn't adjust because there was nothing to adjust to. The room was pure black. There was no sound for me to listen to. The floor was smooth under my fingers, so there was nothing to focus on. There was no illusion of time. There was only me and my thoughts.

My horribly torturous thoughts.


	4. Black Room

**Heh. I like the black room, too. That's why I invented it.**

**Without Further Adieu,**

I don't know how long I sat there. I tried counting my heartbeats, but there were too many of them and they were too soft. A quiet sob escaped me. This was worse than the mazes. I didn't even know if I was dead yet.

"Hey, don't cry," a horribly familiar voice soothed me as he embraced me from behind. I looked around to see my best friend and boyfriend, Fang, cuddling me. His pure black hair blended in with the room, though I could still see it. A small smile was forming on his lips upon seeing me, "It's all right, Max. It really is."

"Why are you here?" I asked him in a panicked whisper. I gripped the cuff of his shirt, "You have to get out of there before they see you."

"They'll have a hard time seeing me if I go like this," he melted away into complete darkness and I cried out. I barreled forward to the place I last saw him, but he wasn't there anymore. I fell to the ground.

"What are you doing on the ground?" his voice sneered at me, echoing all around the room, "Have you realized that you're a disgusting worm yet?"

"What?" I gasped at him. What had happened? He was just comforting me! Now…his face was cold.

"Don't ever look for me. I hate you, traitor," he spat at me and melted into the darkness. He didn't disappear like he does when he uses his power. It was like he turned into a ghost and simply disintegrated into the darkness.

"Come back!" I shrieked in pain, "Don't go! Please!"

No one else came. No one ever did. Fang was never here. He never stepped inside this cell. I was and always would be alone. I started counting my breaths. One, Two, Three, Four…

Three hundred fifty six, Three Hundred Fifty Seven…

Was I dead yet? I couldn't remember. I felt my heartbeat against my chest and found it beating. Oh. I didn't know whether to take this as good or bad. It was most likely bad. Maybe if I died quickly, then I'd be out of this place. Or maybe I'd never notice the difference between death and life.

Silent tears were running down my face, and then they were not. Tremors racked my entire body before they too subsided. Was nothing forever? I wondered if my eyes were open or closed. There was no difference. I tried to close my eyes and found them just shutting themselves tighter. They must have been closed. I relaxed and let myself fall asleep.

I did not wake up for a long time.

_"You forgot about her?"_ Jeb's angry voice was yelling outside my cell. I whimpered and covered my ears. I hadn't heard anything in so long that his voice –though muffled by the steel doors- hurt my eardrums.

"No, the records just didn't say that we had a living inhabitant inside this particular cell," another voice explained, "Maximum Ride was supposed to have escaped months ago."

Months? I'd been in here for months? It felt like an eternity, or more than that. It felt that this place was suspended from time. No one ever came in this room. Light was never allowed in.

"She may be too far gone already. She has only her advanced healing process to thank for her survival," the scientist said, regretful that they wouldn't get to observe me anymore.

"She'll get better if she's around others of her kind," Jeb stopped shouting and his voice turned persuasive, "We could stick her in with that group of rebellious mutants. Nursing her back to health would keep them occupied and would fulfill our needs."

"That…is an exquisite idea, Mr. Batchelder," the scientist said in surprise, "Where are they being held?"

"They're being kept in white room 56 until they're needed for further use. We should move her quickly," Jeb informed the scientist. They must have reached an agreement because my door was swung open. I groaned hoarsely as it burned my eyes. The light gave me the slight determination to actually look around. The room that used to be sparkly clean was now covered in dust, and I was as well. I was slightly skinnier than usual, but that was the only change. Hadn't Jeb said one day that Avian Americans were either almost immortal or were sentenced to die early? It looks like that question has been solved.

"Oh Max," he choked before running over to me and picking me up. I didn't feel like talking. Maybe I had forgotten how.

I closed my eyes again as we were hustled through the facility and brought into a blindingly white room. I heard a small gasp as a group of mutants saw me in Jeb's arms.

The fifteen year old girl with months before whimpered, "Aubree, it's that same girl from before,"

My body wasn't dead, but my mind was. It wasn't thinking many thoughts, only registering what was around me. I was retreating into my own black room inside my head.

"Accept her into your group or she will die," Jeb said, trying to be emotionless, before laying me on the cold floor to face the judgment of the group. He and the other whitecoat backed out, as if they didn't care what happened to me anymore.


	5. Alive

**Argh! Of course I don't hate Max! I'm giving her a whole new, better family! And I'm being realistic. The School isn't a bad place for no reason.**

**Without Further Adieu,**

"You're that girl," the girl named Aubree said in a slightly surprised tone, "I had thought you'd be dead by now. Who're you?"

She should just let me die. I could feel myself slipping away, despite what Jeb called my 'advanced healing system. I tried to retreat into my mind, where it felt like I was drifting in a state of oblivion. When I was aware, my stomach hurt with hunger and everything burned.

"She's slipping," the boy with black hair whispered. Then I didn't register the words. The little, unnaturally colored girl pleaded. There was a sigh. Then a command.

I felt a distinctly male presence enter my head and sift through my consciousness.

**You have to wake up,** the boy urged. Our minds were linked and I could sense that his name was something lethal. Not exactly a weapon, but close. Venom? That was close, but not quite.

**Stop babbling! Wake up! **He shouted, making my head hurt. No. He was ruining the peace. There was a soft tune playing inside my head. It was something about love, but I couldn't exactly remember the words. A boy with chestnut hair and Caribbean blue eyes was standing on a chair, singing to me.

**Snap out of it! **The boy growled. I thought that he had left. I had told him to go. Now I couldn't hear the music. He was too loud.

**Wake up!** Hands gripped the sides of my head and what felt like ice water swept through my brain.

"No!" I thrashed about. Everything hurt. I couldn't hear the nice boy's singing anymore. I shrieked and tried to hit the person holding me down, "Let me die!"

"Maximum Ride!" someone shrieked. The sound was so loud that I immediately stopped and opened my eyes again. The childish girl was hovering over my face. She had bubblegum pink hair put into two pigtails and bright blue eyes. What did she want?

"Good. You're up," Aubree nodded and slid a bowl of mush towards me, "When's the last time you've eaten?"

"A few months ago," I croaked. Ugh. Everything hurt. I didn't even know I could hurt in those places. The childish girl started to pick up the bowl. She was going to feed me.

"No," I gave her a hard look before struggling to sit up. Apparently, I was weaker than I first thought. I was much skinnier, too. How the heck was I still alive? I tried to not show weakness as I righted myself and took the bowl from Toko.

I ate quickly as Aubree explained a few things.

"You're alive because the scientists found that it's easier to put nutrients and everything we need in the air so we can't starve ourselves to death. We just plug up the holes that they come through, so they give us regular bowls and stuff," she told me. Her blond hair went to below her shoulders and had silver and blue streaks. She must be part electric eel, because I got the distinct impression that she could manipulate electricity.

"Who're you guys?" I asked as I set the empty bowl down. I knew exactly one person's name, great.

"I'm Toko," the childish girl giggled as she repeatedly flipped one of her pigtails.

"She's a failed experiment. She's way too airheaded, but has an incredible power," Aubree whispered to me. Toko didn't seem to hear her.

"Don't talk that way about her," the mind reader boy growled. He put a protective hand around Toko's waist.

"That's Poison, Toko's boyfriend," Aubree rolled her eyes. Toko was staring at me excitedly.

"So, you _are_ Maximum Ride, right?" she asked me, her eyes shining with excitement and glee. Maybe she was mentally challenged, but that didn't really matter. She was very sweet.

I moved my head in a small nod, "Yeah."

I wondered what they could do. The only power I knew for sure of was Poison's mind reading. He gave himself away with that one, though.

Poison was monitoring my thoughts, so he picked up my curiosity, "Guys, why don't you show her what you can do?"

"Easy," Aubree nodded and snapped her fingers. Instantly, the lights went out. I heard her snap her fingers again and they came back on. Then she gathered some of the brighter light and started shaping different objects out of it.

Toko, on the other hand, just smiled and stood up. She twirled around three times, and by the time she had spun around the final time she was a tiger. Don't ask me how she did it, but she did. Was she an illusionist, or did she really just change into…that?

"She's a shapeshifter," Poison confirmed. He looked at me from under his black bangs, "So, what can you do?"

That was a legitimate question, seeing as they just told me. However, I wasn't as special as them. I shrugged modestly, "Not really much. I can fly fast."

"That's okay," Aubree rolled her eyes at me, "You're more of the type to work with what you have and from what I've heard, it always works out for you. So what's the plan?"  
I blinked, "What plan?"

"The plan to get out of here?" Poison elaborated condescendingly, "You know, what you always do? Escape dramatically?"

Oh yeah. I do usually do that. But I just escape because others count on me. It's not me that's important. It's those that I've decided to protect.

Poison snorted as he read my mind, "She's not planning to get out."

"What?" Aubree looked alarmed and straightened up from the wall for the first time, "Why?"

"She thinks that since she doesn't have anyone else to take care of, her freedom doesn't matter anymore," Poison chuckled, making fun of me. I _wasn't_ that important.

"There's an easy solution to that!" Toko had spun around again and was now back in human form, "We can just be your family!"

"What did you just say, Bunny?" Poison asked consideratly. Did he just call her _Bunny_? Maybe it was because she was a shape shifter.

"Toko, you can't seriously expect Max to-" Aubree said scathingly before I clutched my head and fell back to the floor. This wasn't the pain that the Voice brings. This was something more. Healing, maybe? I don't know. All I knew was that all of my cells felt like they were on fire then switched to icy cold. What was happening? That peaceful place inside my head seems impossible to reach now.

Did I die? I seemed to ask myself this question a lot, but now I had evidence. Surely this was what hell would feel like.

Something hit my face and I blacked out.


	6. Psychic

_Austin concentrated for a second or two, building up a ball of pure electricity in her palms. She let the ball grow larger and larger until it was about the size of Toko, and she threw it at the ceiling. It burst apart, leaving a space that lead only to the wide open sky._

_She held out a hand to me, which I gladly took, "Let's go."_

_Toko and Poison flew out ahead of us, breathing in fresh air that they haven't tasted in five years. I let out my now twenty feet across wings and I flew out, taking the lead._

I gasped and sat up suddenly. My head banged into someone else's and I rubbed my head. Sleep was keeping the pain down, but I bet that I'd feel it later. Aubree cursed before straightening up as well.

"You're welcome," she grumbled and combed out a knot in her platinum streaks with her fingers. Poison was looking at us like we amused him.

"Aubree's been caring for you for the past four days. Toko thought that you were dead and started crying, but I could feel some faint brain activity coming from you," his amused expression turned into a disapproving frown, "You were blocking me."

"Well sorry," I rolled my eyes. Wait, _four days_? I was asleep for that long? It only felt like a few minutes. I didn't _look_ any skinnier and I actually felt better. How had I eaten and drank?

Poison picked the question out of my head, much like Angel did. I'd have to teach him manners later, "I told you. Aubree took care of you."

"Max!" Toko squealed and hugged me. I patted her back, "You never answered my question! Will you be a part of our family?"

What I'd been dreaming these past four days, was it really a dream? It felt so real, but as if it hadn't happened yet. I had fit in perfectly with their group and had assumed the leader position.

"Aubree's horrible at being the leader," Poison assured me, not joking one bit, "And now that you're thinking of your dreams and I can see them…they don't have the dream like quality to them. I think that you actually saw the future, as weird as that sounds."

It wasn't that weird. Angel had that power, too. I bet that there were lots of mutants that could do that.

Aubree snorted, "Ha! Really? You expect us to believe that?"

I placed a level stare at her. She was accusing Poison and me of lying. I didn't lie, and I doubt that he did either, "I saw us escape."

She raised her eyebrows in interest, a better emotion than three seconds before, "How so?"

Huh, now I only remembered the end of my visions. I swear that I had seen myself fit in, but now I just remembered the wide open sky that now seemed more dreamlike than everything else, "You created a ball of electricity and blew the ceiling apart. We were in a hallway with…blue walls and white tiles."

"The execution hall," Toko said in wonder and slight terror. She must have been wondering why we were all there, and frankly, I was wondering the same thing. Had they just grown tired of us?

I felt Poison enter my head and try to access my visions and memories again. It was really getting annoying to have him inside my head all the time. I slammed up my mind blocks and he fell back.

"What the heck?" he snapped at me and massaged his head as if I had hurt him. I knew for a fact that it didn't hurt to be shoved out of someone's head. Angel would have a concussion by now if it injured her.

I stared at him coolly and my gaze seemed to make him a bit regretful, though he didn't know for what, "It's rude to spy inside people's minds all the time. How would you feel if your privacy was invaded all the time?"

"I would be perfectly fine with it," he remarked nonchalantly, still not getting it. Yeah, it was nice and dandy to not have any secrets until you actually had to give them away.

I put my hands on my hips and smirked at him. I had taught Angel some manners regarding her power, and I can teach Poison too, "Then let us inside your head for once, will you? Do you like Toko?"

Toko looked interested in his response and he blushed under my question, "Um…of course! We're family."

I lowered my mind blocks. I wasn't going to give away his little crush, though it was obvious that his feelings were returned, _See? You don't want everyone to know how you feel about Toko. No one else wants all of their secrets spilled._

He grimaced and looked away, which I took as a victory. It was good that he felt shameful.

Brian, a scientist that I didn't see often, popped into the room, "I need you all for testing before you're to be terminated."

Aubree and I shared a look of…I don't know what. There was fear, definitely, that we were going to be a hallway away from death. There was awe that my vision was turning out to be true. There was also something else, understanding. Aubree was passing me the torch of leadership, trusting that I'd lead them to freedom.


	7. Breakout

**Sorry for going AWOL on you (can someone tell me what that stands for? I looked it up and only got the meaning :disappeared) I had to do some favors for a person, I read Nevermore, got writers block from reading Nevermore because of the ending…**

**Without Further Adieu,**

The whitecoats saved the world while I was in the black room, which was a plus. No aliens, meteors, or nuclear bombs are going to destroy the world this millennium. The down side to that is that now all of their mutants that were designed to save the world get to be terminated, and that means us.

We performed several tests for the whitecoats' amusement, like running on a treadmill until we collapsed, seeing the highest frequencies that we could hear, etc. They were all stupid, but we allowed ourselves to do the tests like stupid sheep.

Right now, our group was being led to the termination rooms, the place that we would break out at. Toki couldn't hide her excitement, so she was skipping on her way to the death chambers. The whitecoats barely paid attention to her, checking off her excitement to her 'brain failure' as they called it.

Our group had perfected our escape plan. As soon as we were in the middle of the execution hall, Toki would shift into a tiger. That would distract the whitecoats long enough for Austin to create her ball of electricity and blow the place apart. Then we were homefree.

The plan would go into action right….now. Toki shrieked and spun around, transforming herself into a white tiger. She attacked one of the whitecoats and bit his head off, literally. I pressed my lips together as I looked away. I hadn't thought that she was that...violent. Poison gave me a dirty look before sprinting off to do his work. He would open all of the doors that he could and try to free some of the mutants waiting for their death. Poison would be the only one who would know which doors held the mutants we wanted to free, meaning 'those not Eraserfied'.

While Toki was mauling all of the whitecoats that came into our sight, Poison opened all of the doors that he could. Mutants flew, slithered, and walked into the halls, looking surprised.

Someone shot me in my leg and I gasped, spinning around to see my attacker. A boy with chestnut hair and ice blue eyes was staring there in shock with a gun aimed at me.

"Omega?" I asked. Only the memories of last year were messed up, so I perfectly remembered how I saved his life. I lifted my chin up to him and silently dared him to go against me, only slightly wincing when m flesh healed over the bullet. That's going to hurt like hell later.

Omega's shocked expression faded away to be replaced with self-righteousness. My alarm bells went off and I dove out of the way just as he shot.

"Hey Max, I didn't know that you were alive," Omega greeted me arrogantly, "I preferred it when I thought you dead."

"I saved your life, idiot," I spat at him and dug into a dead whitecoat's pocket, finding only a ball point pen. I held that in my hands like a knife and he laughed at me. He raised his gun again and prepared to press the trigger.

I threw the ballpoint pen and watch him look down at the writing utensil sticking out of his stomach before some angry mutants dragged him away for revenge.

"Good. You finished," Austin said a bit breathlessly from behind me. I turned around and covered her while she put the finishing touches on her ball of electricity.

Austin concentrated for a second or two, building up a ball of pure electricity in her palms. She let the ball grow larger and larger until it was about the size of Toki, and she threw it at the ceiling. It burst apart, leaving a space that lead only to the wide open sky.

She held out a hand to me, which I gladly took, "Let's go."

Toki and Poison flew out ahead of us, breathing in fresh air that they haven't tasted in five years. I let out my now twenty feet across wings and I flew out, taking the lead.

My vision had come true, and I couldn't be happier. Maybe we'd get some calm before the storm this time.


	8. Count Off

**THANKS TO VAMPIRESEXPLODEINLIGHT!**

**Without Further Adieu,**

"Where are we?" I asked Austin about a hundred mile away. We were resting by a stream. Toki had shifted to a cat and was catching fish for us to eat. Poison was keeping feeding our small fire alive, and Austin and I were keeping watch.

"Somewhere in Canada," she replied, "There's a town about three miles from here."

"I think that I'm going to get food and stuff," I told her and started to stand up when Austin grabbed my arm. She looked away as electricity ran up my arm, making my hair stand.

"Max, you saved us and you barely know us. Toki invited you to be in our family, but you never answered," she muttered, "We've all been waiting for your decision."

I blinked. I thought the answer would have been obvious, "Well, duh."

"Good," Austin gave me a quirky smile, "Because I would have beat the shit out of you if you refused."

As if, "I know."

With that, I left. I'd pick pocket some guy's wallet, or shoplift the food. Did it really matter what I did? Engrossed in the short exchange between Austin and I, I didn't notice the five shapes circling overhead.

CHANGE OF POV: AUBREE

"I know," Max lied. She was a pretty convincing liar, but I was better at detecting them. She didn't think that I could beat her. We'd have to see.

"Max can beat you," Poison called after reading my mind, then he stiffened and glared at the sky, "Mutants."

"They must've tailed us," I cursed and jumped to my feet. I wished that Max had waited five more seconds before leaving. I hated leading, "Toki, come here."

Poison used his ability to send a wave of power through the mutant's minds. Immediately, five figures crashed to the ground in surprise, one landing in the stream. Toki giggled and shifted into her tiger form.

"What the hell?" the tallest one shouted at us and stared in bewilderment at Toki, "Why'd you shoot us out of the sky?"

"Fang, that girl's a tiger," a short, blonde boy pointed out. Immediately, I pointed my hand at the tall figure, clad in dark.

"Are you Fang? From the Flock?" I snarled. Oh no. The name Fang isn't exactly common, and if I was right, this guy was going to pay for hurting Max.

"What's it to you?" he asked me warily. That was all the affirmation I needed to attack. Electricity billowed from my palm and laced through the air in a huge arc. Fang absorbed the electricity stiffly. He was in terrible hurt, but he had a high pain tolerance. Good. That meant that the fun could last. Fang's black hair stood up and he staggered.

"Fang!" the one named Nudge cried and started to charge at me.

"Don't," I warned and moved my other hand to point at the stream, "Or I shoot at the stream. Water carries electricity pretty well, so if I do that…" I gestured my head to the smallest of the Flock, the one that had fallen in the water and was completely soaked.

Toki spun around and shifted back to human, "Aubree, I don't want to kill them! Max will be mad!"

"Max?" The blind one, Iggy, gasped in surprise, "Do you know her?"

"Yeah. We're the ones that brought her back from death," I snarled just as Max came back, loping through the forest.

"Aubree, I couldn't find the-" Max immediately saw the Flock, "Excuse me."

With that nicety, she turned away and crouched behind a thick bush, where she proceeded to vomit her guts out. After about ten minutes –none of us had moved- she returned.

"I'm going to be a good leader," Max decided out loud as she looked at all of us, "Aubree, stop trying to kill them. Flock, you're going to stay or I'll give my new Flock permission to tear you apart."

She paused and looked at them, confusion clouding her eyes, "Wait. Someone's missing. Count off."

Surprisingly, the Flock followed her order immediately.

"Fang."

"Iggy."

"Nudge."

"Gazzy."

"Angel."

"I thought so," Max said deliberately, "We're one short. Where's Total?"

Just then, the Flock looked at each other in surprise and uncertainty. Was there someone Max was forgetting? No one spoke up, and it looked like I was the only one who noticed something wrong. Even Poison looked satisfied.

I'd get the answer out of them later, because chances were, that missing person would be very important to Max.


	9. Chapter 9

"I…have decided to think with my head, not my heart," I sucked in a ragged breath, trying to calm my nerves. I needed to think, "You will travel with us. You're not part of my Flock, you never will be, but I'm not about to cast you off."

Aubree looked at me and nodded in her acceptance. That surprised me. She had seemed ready to break someone's neck earlier, and that someone had a named that started with F, "We need food for the night. And a fire."

"Thanks for reminding me," I said softly as I gave the Flock a hard look, "Do you accept to being under my leadership?"

Angel was the first to come over to me, "I do. We haven't eaten in days."

Of course, the next was Gazzy. He followed his sister anywhere, no matter what.

"Did Gazzy just go over?" Iggy asked and I said yes, he had. It was so easy to forget his loss of sight. With a sigh, he went over. Nudge followed Iggy.

Fang, being the last, crossed his arms. I could almost hear the thoughts in his head. He knew that he wouldn't survive on his own. Common sense won out over pride and he came over to me. Coward. I thought I'd taught him to never do anything he didn't want to do because of practicalities.

I started barking out orders. We were behind schedule now because of this mishap with the Flock, "Gazzy and Iggy, you start a fire. Don't blow anything up or cause a scene. My group just got out of the School, and we're not going back. Nudge and Angel, have Toko teach you the ins and outs of living in our group. Poison, you watch over them. Send me a message if anything's wrong. Austin and Fang, you guys have to come with me to get food and clothes."

"Yes ma'am," Gazzy actually saluted, which I found ridiculous…and slightly cute. Gosh, I've forgotten how the kids can wear out the wall I put up.

"It's great to have you back, Max," Iggy chuckled as he brought out a matchbox from his jacket pocket, "You know how to get things done."

"Okay," Nudge bubbled and started rattling off clothing sizes and favorite colors. Um...what? I just knew that Toko was a size small hospital gown, Poison was a medium, and Aubree and I were larges. Reading my mind, Angel shook her head.

"Max, you should just let Nudge go with you. There are things called clothing sizes," she said. I would've been ticked off at her tone, but the news was actually welcome.

I shrugged, "Okay then. Fang, you stay here. Nudge, you come with us."

The two switched places and my group let out our wings.

Toko giggled as she shifted to a bunny, to a tiger, and back to a human again, "Let's go, people! I promise not to kill you!"

My mouth curved into a smile. Good girl. With that my group took off, Aubree leading because she was the only one who actually knew where the town was.

"How're you going to pay for the clothes?" Nudge screamed over the roar of the never ending wind. I rolled my eyes and showed her a slim piece of plastic labeled OMEGA before putting it back into the small pocket of my hospital gown. I'd snatched it from him moments before his death.

"There," Aubree indicated to a miniscule mall below us.

I looked at Nudge seriously, "You can spend however much you want anywhere. Just remember, only three outfits, one backpack, and one pair of shoes per person."

She nodded, "I remember. And only clothes that'll blend in normally."

We landed at the abandoned entrance to the mall and pulled in our wings. Nudge looked us over, hospital gowns and all, before shuddering.

"You two first," she said to herself, in her zone, "Come with me."

She pulled her long, slightly fizzy black hair into a ponytail as she led us into a Rue 21. How did she find these stores so easily. She looked at us for a long moment before she started handing Aubree clothes.

"Ew," she curled her lip at a light pink tee shirt, "I don't do color if I have a choice."

"True, true," Nudge said thoughtfully, taking the shirt back, "You'd look better in a dark gray."

She handed her a light gray shirt with a black ribcage on it and a pair of black skinny jeans, "Try this on while look for Max."

"Max, I'm going to hand you some girly things. You look better in them, so you'll fit in more," Nudge murmured, "Nothing stands out more than someone trying too hard to blend in."

She handed me a pair of what looked like skinny jeans and I recoiled, "No. No way. Those things are way too tight."

She shook her head, "These are just normal jeans. They aren't super skinny, but not bell bottoms, either. Trust me."

Nudge then handed me a white camisole and a light blue, baggy shirt with a brown belt, "This is a ncie shirt, and it won't restrict you while fighting. Try it on."

"I have to admit, this isn't bad," Aubree said from behind us, dressed in her new clothes that fit her perfectly, "I expected you to crash and burn."

"Be nice," I sighed as I went to change, already deeming it a lost cause.

"Impossible," Aubree informed me.

Nudge agreed, "I'll never get along with that...vile creature."

I quickly changed into the shirt and pants and looked at myself in the mirror. Nudge was right. I looked like a normal girl, but I was able to move freely. Even the pants weren't torturous.

I changed back into my normal clothes and came out. I handed the clothes to Nudge. She already had a pile containing everyone's clothes, even my group's. Angel's clothes were pink, Gazzy's were blue, Nudge's were purple, Iggy's were white, Fang's were black (of course), Poison's had skull and crossbones on them, and Toko's were rainbow striped.

"I have an eye for size," Nudge said absent mindedly, "They'll fit."

It seems that she's useful after all.


	10. Chapter 10

We then bought a week's worth of human groceries, night of food for mutants, and hurried back to the camp. I didn't trust the Flock alone, and apparently Aubree felt the same.

What we found at the camp pleasantly surprised me, far exceeding my expectations. A large fire was already burning bright and climbing higher into the sky, thanks to Iggy and Gazzy. My little pyros, I thought wistfully.

I blinked as I recalled what I had just thought. My little pyros? When had I last called them that? It must've been a long time.

Should I be mad at them? Dislike them? Distrust them?

I didn't know because I didn't remember. It wouldn't be fair to anyone to hold my faulty memory against them.

My little pyros, I thought again, this time more forceful.

My head swiveled around the tiniest bit to see Poison, Angel, and Toko. They looked deep in conversation, and I approached them to hear their conversation.

There was no conversation, I saw. Poison and Angel were chatting via mindspeak, looking intrigued and animated at the same time. Two mind readers, I thought, this time with new feeling. Of course they'd bond quickly. Toki looked put out and irritated, having been let out of the loop.

"Hey Max," Toki said dejectedly, twirling her bubblegum pink hair around, "I'm going out in the woods for a walk."

Resigned to talk to her later about this, I nodded, "Be back in an hour, okay?"

"Kay," she gave me a small smile before walking away, the shadows of the forest engulfing her almost immediately. That seemed like a bad omen, but I ignored it. If only I had made her stay…but there was no way I could've possibly known.

_Max, where are you? _A sweet, soothing voice crooned in my mind, _Where have you gone? I've been looking for so, so long._

"Angel! Poison!" I snapped at the two mind readers, "Stop playing with my mind."

Angel stared at me, her eyes deadly cold and calculating, "I cannot even reach your mind right now. Someone else is in there. Not me."

"Are you blocking us?" Poison turned the tables on me, his question accusatory.

"You can block Angel?" Fang said, impressed, "You've gotten stronger."

"Shut up, idiot," Aubree snarled, her bright red hair flipping in the wind.

"I got clothes, everyone!" Nudge trilled.

"I'm going to-" Gazzy smiled smugly as the air started to look slightly green. His farts had gotten even more…potent.

"Max, something about doesn't sound right," Iggy said, his voice calm as he walked towards me. What was he talking about? I was fine! I'm always fine. Nothing's ever wrong with me. Why would he even-

_The first thing I saw was a mop of light pink hair, pulled into two pigtails. Toki was trampling through the undergrowth of the forest bathed in dusk, wiping at her face repeatedly as she tried to soak up the tears._

_"Why does he have to like her?" she whimpered as she used a young maple tree as a punching bag, punching it as hard as she could until her knuckles bled. When the tree began to weaken, she gave it a high kick with her left leg, snapping it in two._

_She didn't notice that an army of twenty highly trained humans with guns and choloform had surrounded her, preparing to strike._

Suddenly, a new vision started. This one, I could tell, happened in the past. Maybe a few days ago, at the latest.

_"So, Mr. Scorpio, which one would you like to purchase?" a vaguely familiar whitecoat asked. His nametag read Brian, but didn't reveal any other information, "These mutations have been created just for you."_

_"But this purchase isn't for me," an older man in a light brown suit chuckled as he flipped through a binder containing information on several experiments, "I'm looking for a playmate for my daughter. I've recently bought her a house, and she needs someone to share it with."_

_"How old is your daughter? Seven?" Brian thought for a moment, tapping the table, "We don't currently have any stable mutations at this age, but Experiment 84623 might do. She's on page 37 of the packet."_

_The man started to read out qualities of the experiment, "Experiment 84623 is a shapeshifter, originated from a test tube, and was especially chosen by experiment 13124 (otherwise known as Maximum Ride) to be in her Flock. The experiment's favorite forms are tiger, human, and kitten (in that order)."_

_"Is this experiment what you're looking for?" Brian asked persuasively, "She sells for the low price of only 50 grand."_

_"Why so cheap?" Mr. Scorpio asked suspiciously, "Is she deformed?"_

_"Not at all," Brian laughed, "Just not very smart. Childish, in a way."_

_"I have bought 'childish' mutants before for more than triple that price," Mr. Scorpio said snottily, "Now, why don't you tell me the real reason for the reduced price?"_

_Brian sighed, "Of course, Mr. Scorpio. The mutant escaped a day ago, and is somewhere in the country of Canada. Also, the experiment…is dangerously unstable."_

_"Oh," Mr. Scorpio said, pleasant once more, "That's fine. We'll find the girl and pump her full of painkillers. Here's a check."_

_The binder flopped back onto the table, allowing me to see a picture of a mutant with ridiculous pink hair, smiling like an idiot for the camera._

"Toki," I gasped as I resurfaced into reality, "We have to get Toki, right now."

"What?" Poison exploded, invading my personal space, "What happened? What did you see? Is she hurt?"

"Was she taken by the School?" Fang asked curiously. I bet that's the first thing that came to everyone's minds. It would be the first thing that I'd think of, too.

"She was…taken by a man named Mr. Scorpio. He plans to drug her until she's like a doll. Toki…" I clapped my hand over my mouth, "If we don't find her right away, we'll never get her. That man is rich and powerful, and if he gets to her first…"

Poison had already disappeared, following in the direction that Toki had run.


	11. Chapter 11

**ENGLAND: TOKI**

Toki sat stiffly in the soft brown, leather chair. What was happening? Where was she?

She wasn't panicking, but trying to gather facts. She already had a list of things that she'd gathered and taken to be true.

One, she was heavily drugged. Her mind and body were moving very slowly, and she couldn't shift. It seemed that her captors had gotten hold of the serum especially made for her, one that somehow blocked her powers.

Two, her captors had embedded a computer chip in her body. She could see the light green computer part under the skin of her left forearm. It seemed to be controlling her body at random times.

Three, she was in a large manor, filled with things that she'd only heard of. On a table before her, a teapot was set out filled with Earl Grey tea, tea cups placed around it.

Fourth, her appearance had been groomed. Her light pink hair had been washed and now fell in soft ringlets around her face. She was in a light blue Lolita dress, one that had short sleeves and was poofy from the waist until it ended at her knees. She had knee high white stockings and black flat Mary Janes. She looked like a doll.

The computer chip in her arm sent a buzz of electricity through her, gripping her body and controlling it.

"Time for tea," Toki trilled as she stood up, pouring out the tea perfectly. The door to her perfect little room opened and a girl of about nine years ran in. The girl had on a light gray top and skinny jeans, her hair was black, her skin was a light caramel, and her eyes were a dark chocolate. She looked like Max, she thought in a daze.

"I hate how he makes all of my presents so prim and proper," the girl sighed as she took a cup of hot, steaming tea, "My father's trying to win me over since he was a dead beat dad for most of my life, hence the human playmates."

She dumped the beverage over my computer chip over Toki's arm and she yelped in pain, the chip no longer controlling her movements.

"I still need someone to keep me company, of course, so don't expect me to let you go," the girl smiled coldly, "But I think that you'll come to enjoy it here. There's a large courtyard, a swimming pool, a library…you'll never be able to escape because of the electric barriers, but I don't think that you'll want to."

What a snotty brat, Toki thought in disgust. What she would give to throttle the little brat…but her body was too drugged to allow that. Toki'd simply have to bide her time and kill her when she had the chance.

"Oh, where are my manners?" the girl grinned widely, showing all of her pearly white teeth, "My name is Ella Martinez. I'm Maximum's sister."

Well shit, Toki cursed internally. Would Max be mad if she snapped her sister's neck?

**CANADA: MAX**

_I should just get rid of the Flock right now_, I paced along the streambed, debating with myself, _They don't know Toki. They don't have the urge to save her. They'll slow us down. But we need their power. I need their power. That's my only real reason for keeping them around. Power. I realize that now._

"Where could Toki have gone?" I asked out loud, to no one in particular.

"Why don't you ask your psychic powers?" Fang snorted sarcastically. I heard Aubree slap him and I was reminded, yet again, how grateful I was to have her in my group.

"Why don't you ask your voice?" Gazzy asked, trying to be helpful. Huh, that was actually a good point. _Hey, Voice? Want to try to help me out here?_

No answer.

"The Voice hasn't contacted me in…awhile," I informed them, while remembering the voice that wasn't The Voice that had appeared in my head. It had asked where I was. Who had asked it?

"A big house," Angel whispered, sounding lost. I whirled around to see her. Her light blue eyes were murky as she read some poor fool's mind, "Lots of hills…bleak weather…it's very cloudy…I'm catching a name…Dartmoor?"

"England," Poison spat softly, "Home to the greatest Institute for Higher Being that there is. It's where I grew up, actually."

"So you know where she is?" I asked him forcefully, my hands balled into fists because of the stress. I couldn't let Toki disappear from our lives, from my life. She was my little girl, my family. I couldn't let her go.

"It depends…there are a three places," Poison stuffed his hands into his sweatshirt pockets, "The best possible scenario is that she's in the School. The next best thing is the Institute."

"And…the third?" it was Iggy who asked, strangely. Iggy!

Poison took a deep breath to steady himself, "The worst option is that rag to riches Anthony Scorpio 'adopted' her. He's been buying mutants from Itex for awhile. Word is, he recently found out about a human daughter, so he's been buying her mutants as well. The girl likes misfits, and Toki fits the description."

"What's the problem?" Aubree asked, sitting beside Poison and taking his hand. Drat, I should've been the one to do that.

"I…got a lot of information from reading people's minds when I was still in England," Poison muttered, "There was always a big fuss about getting Mr. Scorpio what he wanted. First, it was a really big house. A mansion. It had to be installed with extravagant things, and then strengthened for mutant inhabitation. Very strong barriers guarding the house, very sturdy foundation, chance of breaking in and out if basically zero."

"Sounds basically impossible," I said confidently as I let my wings spread, "Just our specialty."

**UNITED STATES: DYLAN**

Dylan sat under the protection of a large oak tree as the rain poured around him. He was somewhere in Washington state, where it always rained. He rather liked this state, since the weather matched his mood.

Why hadn't he been able to resist Angel's mind control? She only let him go weeks after Max left, to ensure that the Flock wouldn't go after her. He should've broken the mind control.

But he hadn't, so he was screwed.

Dylan had looked everywhere in the USA for her, every single town, every city, and every cave he could find. He'd look for a few more weeks before he gave up.

And if he gave up, he'd simply curl into a ball and die.


End file.
